Pricing is one of the more important topics for our clients. Sometimes it even causes us to have a strong emotional response. I think we could all agree that whenever we’re making a choice, especially if there’s money attached to it, we do a better job if there’s not too much emotion influencing our judgement. That’s one of the fundamental ways I think Straightforward Pricing helps our clients. Aside from removing complexity, it results in better decisions for a home’s long-term health.
Let’s compare Straightforward Pricing to time & material pricing, where the homeowner/client doesn’t initially have a clear idea how much the job is going to cost. It can be very nerve-racking and anxiety inducing. After all, the price is always going to be too much. We don’t want to spend anything on a plumbing or HVAC repair. Even if it only ends up costing $50, it’s still too much because it wasn’t in our budget. A homeowner’s anxiety level starts low with time & material, but it peaks at the end when you find out how much it ended up costing. After that, you might have emotions about the technician taking too long, or maybe not being as efficient as they should have been.
With Straightforward Pricing, the actual price is given upfront before any work happens. Your anxiety is going to peak at that point, but then it’s going to be lower as the repair is made. After all, there’s no pressure around variables you can’t control, like the efficiency of the technician, whether they came prepared, or how long they’re taking. I think this helps clients make better decisions simply because the overall anxiety level is lower through the whole process.
Uncertainty is stressful, especially if a homeowner has to wait until the very end of the repair. People like to be well-informed, and they don’t like to be surprised—especially when it comes to money. Time & material and other similar pricing methods charge for variables outside of the homeowner’s control, which doesn’t feel good and makes it more difficult to choose the best option. The homeowner might be forced into saying, “If you don’t have it on your truck now, then don’t bother. I’ll choose another option instead.” It might not be in their best interest, but they choose unwisely simply because they feel pressured to pick the faster and lest costly option.
We also believe giving a list of options to customers allows them to make better decisions. Let’s say you had a toilet that needed to be replaced. If we just asked if you wanted it to be replaced or not, that’s just a yes or no choice. You wouldn’t have any input about the cost of the toilet, or other tasks that might be done at the same time. We give the customer three or four options so they can pick the best fit. Time & material doesn’t allow that to happen because the price is unknown. Straightforward Pricing allows us to easily pinpoint how much each option will end up costing. It enables us to give very detailed options that empower the customer to make a decision that’s best for their situation.
We apply Straightforward Pricing to both plumbing and HVAC. If you have any questions, contact us today or give us a call at 540-483-9382.
